Car Hire Excess Costs Consfuses Consumers

iCarhireinsurance.com have just released a Press Release - "Confusion Over Hire Car Excess Costs Consumers"

The news release dated 20th June 2012 says "The true extent of consumer confusion surrounding excess waivers sold by car rental companies has been revealed in new research. The survey, carried out by YouGov on behalf of iCarhireinsurance.com, found that only 29% of hire car drivers knew what car hire excess was and one in five (19%) mistakenly believe they can only buy it from the rental company.


Excess cover is one of the most important considerations when hiring a vehicle, as driving without it can leave consumers vulnerable to hefty charges of up to GBP 2,000 if the car is stolen or damaged, even if it's not their fault. Low cost, fully comprehensive independent policies are available if drivers buy in advance, but those that find themselves at the rental desk without cover have to pay an average of GBP 17 a day for a rental company policy.


The survey found that;


-- A sixth of hire car drivers (16%) bought it to be on the safe side even



though they were not sure what it covered.


-- More than a quarter (28%) thought car hire excess protected them from


having to pay for damages, when unfortunately protection from rental


desks often does not include damage to windows and tyres.


-- 4% believed that excess cover protected them from charges such as


speeding tickets and parking fines.


-- A sixth (16%) admitted they were surprised to be offered this cover at


the car rental desk as they assumed it was included in the price.


-- While 6% admitted they bought because of pressure at the rental desk


with 5% stating they were actually 'scared' into buying it.


Ernesto Suarez, founder of iCarhireinsurance.com said, "Our research has highlighted a worrying lack of knowledge about this form of protection. Rental desks seem to take advantage of this and can 'scare' drivers into buying their expensive and limited cover. Our policies can be bought online for only GBP 2.99 a day, or GBP 39.99 a year, so for excess insurance that covers ALL of the car, without any of the confusion the message is simple - Buy before you fly"



The research was carried out online by YouGov between 18 / 04 / 2012 and 20 / 04 / 2012 amongst a panel resulting in 2,058 UK Adult respondents, of which 994 have hired a car.  Source Halo Insurance/iCarhireinsurance.

iCarhireinsurance.com advertises its car hire excess insurance products and van hire excess insurance products on the insurance4carrrental.com website  Visit their page HERE

Meanwhile on the iCarhireinsurance blog today (20th June 2012) there is a headline "The Guardian Recommends iCarhiresurance.com"

The Guardian outlined 10 top tips for making the most of your car hire in an article written by Miles Brignall. The article appeared in the paper on the 16^th June. We reported on this on this blog http://carhireexcessinsurance.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/10-ways-to-avoid-being-ripped-off-with.html last Saturday.

The iCarhireinsurance team have also mentioned another Guardian report on the 15th June "Car hire – it's too cheap - Car hire companies are undercharging – but then making their profits by forcing renters to buy insurance policies" by Patrick Collinson. 

He is off to Ireland later this month and looks like he has been caught by a similar car hire salesperson as I have done on a few occasions. (see this article ) He says "Last time the polyester-uniformed saleswoman almost dementedly pushed the "super collision damage waiver" deal, which would have cost more than the car hire itself. Didn't I know how dangerous the roads in Ireland are, how I might easily have a scrape and end up with a bill for £800 to cover the excess? When I flourished my independent cover (see step 3 in today's guide) she turned nasty. She said it wasn't "accepted" in Ireland (utter nonsense). And if I didn't buy the super CDW, she'd have to pre-authorise thousands of pounds off my credit card. Another lie, but a good one to frighten people at the start of a holiday when they know they'll need their card."

See this article in full at The Guardian website Here